Dwayne Wade’s 30 points Help Heat Take Down The Nets

In an offensive explosion from a veteran and an emerging star, the Miami Heat beat the Brooklyn Nets Monday night, 110-99.

Lead by the veteran Dwayne Wade, who posted 30 points while dishing out nine assists, and the third-year player out of the University of Marshall, Hassan Whiteside, who scored a career-high 27 points, the Heat scored 28 in total in the fourth quarter to pull ahead by 11.

The game started out in a tug-of-war with both teams making baskets. The Nets (21-52) started out the game by going up 7-2 early in the first quarter. After a jump shot from Dwayne Wade and a dunk by Amar’e Stoudemire, the Heat brought the game by within one.

Nets responded by point-guard Shane Larkin swishing a 20-footer bringing the Nets up by three. The next play, Brooklyn’s Thaddeus Young stole a bad pass from Miami’s Luol Deng, who passed it to Bojan Bogdanovic. Bogdanovic tossed up a 2-point-shot that went up and in.

11-6, Nets.

The Heat (43-30) made a 17-foot-jumper from rookie Josh Richardson and a three-foot shot from Wade to bring it back within one. The Heat took their first lead of the game with about five minutes left in the first quarter.

The back-and-forth action continued throughout the first quarter resulting in a 27-27 end to the first quarter. The second quarter was a quarter of seesawing as well. Both teams scored on their first three consecutive possessions of the second quarter. The Nets went up by three after Chris McCullough made a 25-foot three-point jumper. No points were scored for over a minute until the Nets’ Sean Kilpatrick made a layup to bring the Nets up by 5. By the end of the half, Wade scored a 12-foot shot to bring the Heat up by 5.

The Nets kept the game close, bringing the game within one with a Thaddeus Young layup at the 8:42 mark of the third quarter, making the score 59-58.  That was closest the Nets came to putting out the Heat. Wade scored eight points in the quarter. He got help from his rookie teammates, Justin Winslow and Richardson, who scored five points each in the quarter. The Heat ended the 3rd quarter up by 7, 82-75.

Whiteside matched Wade’s eight-point third quarter in the fourth quarter. As for a team, the Heat outscored the Nets by four in the fourth quarter, 28-24. The Nets’ Kilpatrick scored a layup late, but the Heat remained victorious, 110-99. Wade credits the win to the play of the bench with Heat starting point-guard Goran Dragic being out with a cold.  Whiteside credits his teammates as well. He said their assists are what helped him get his career-high in points.
With the win, the Heat move to a half-game lead over the Boston Celtics for 3rd in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Heat go on the road Wednesday to face the LA Lakers. The Lakers are coming off a loss to the Jazz that matched their worst loss in history.
Tip off is scheduled for 10:30 p.m.